Code Name Orchid

Chapter 4

      "A crime boss and two of his henchmen dead?"

"Yes, their bodies were found in Washington last night."

"The DC police should be able to handle it. Why do we need to get involved?"

The FBI assistant director handed Special Agent Rogers a copy of a fax.

"All three victims were shot in the head at close range by a 0.22 calibre handgun," he read, then paused to look up at the director, "Orchid."

The director nodded. "I've assigned Special Agent Diane Taylor to work with you on this. Get down to DC fast and liaise with the police there. I've told them you're coming. One more thing, Bruce. Watch your step. This woman is dangerous."

Rogers gave his boss a smug smile. "Don't worry, sir. I've yet to meet a woman I can't handle."

*****
Michael was getting ready to go out on his second night of surveillance on Chantelle's apartment when there was a knock at the door.

"Special agents Rogers and Taylor, may we come in?"

A minute later they were seated around Michael's dining table.

"I remember you from Vancouver," Michael said to Rogers, "So you figured out my wife is here in DC?"

Rogers nodded. "So Mr Richards, why are you here? The manager of the La Fayette alerted us to your little visit with him the other day."

"Isn't it obvious? I'm trying to find my wife."

"And if you find her what will you do?"

"Arrest her of course."

"Mr Richards, have you forgotten you're a civilian now? You can't arrest anyone."

"I'll make a citizen's arrest then."

"If you try and do that you will more than likely get yourself killed. Your wife is becoming more dangerous. In her last hit she killed two bodyguards as well as the target. Previously she only ever killed the target."

"The bodyguards must have got in her way."

"Since you've been here in DC have you seen or had any contact with your wife?"

Michael shook his head. "Do you have any leads yet?" he asked.

"I can't tell you that, but we are here to tell you to stay away from this case. It's too dangerous for you to get involved, plus we don't want you getting in our way hindering our investigation."

Rogers and Taylor stood up. "We'll show ourselves out," Rogers said.

"Asshole," Michael muttered to himself as the agents left. He had been about to tell them he was certain he had found a way to get to his wife, but after Rogers' high handed attitude he decided to keep quiet about it and go it alone.

He waited ten minutes to make sure the agents were gone, then he went out to his car and drove off towards Chantelle's apartment building which was about a twenty five minute drive.

After five minutes he was sure he was being followed. A car some distance behind him made every turn he did. It was dark so he couldn't see the make and model, just a set of headlights going everywhere he did.

It must be the FBI agents. He cursed them, then decided to try and lose them.
After a series of fast and sudden turns the headlights disappeared.

"Take that, Rogers," he muttered with a smile.

Twenty minutes later Michael parked his car across the road from the entrance to Chantelle's four story apartment block. From his vantage point he had a good view of the front door to the building.

He frowned. That was strange. Last night there were two lights over the front door making it easy to see anyone coming or going, but tonight they were out, with the only light coming from a nearby street light. This would make it harder to make out who was coming and going in the half dark.

At eleven o'clock he was yawning. Could he really stay awake all night watching the building on the slight chance that Hannah would turn up? In the last three hours a number of people had arrived and left, but even in the semi gloom he was able to tell that none of them was his wife.
He was reaching for his water bottle when a movement caught his eye. Someone was approaching the door. It was a woman with long hair wearing a long black jacket. Was it Hannah? He wasn't sure as he watched closely.

She stopped at the door and appeared to try the handle, rattling it for several seconds. Then she turned and walked quickly back along the sidewalk.

It was Hannah. It must be Hannah. It looked like her. She didn't have a key, so had given up. Michael checked that he had his pistol in his pocket, quickly stepped out of his car following the woman from his side of the street.

She kept up a brisk pace, while Michael held back some distance in case she turned around and saw him. But she didn't turn around. After five minutes she turned into a small park which fronted her side of the street. She disappeared out of sight as Michael dashed across the road.
The park was not very big. It consisted of several paths winding past small trees and picnic tables. The paths were lit by orange lights, but the rest of the park was in darkness.

Michael walked a short distance along one of the paths scanning left and right, but there was no sign of the woman. Then he thought he heard a sound to his left. He stepped off the path and slowly made his way between the trees, his gun in his hand, his eyes straining to see through the gloom. The park ended about a hundred metres ahead of him at a road which was dimly lit with streetlights. For a moment he thought he saw the outline of a person running some distance ahead of him towards the road.

"Stop, police," he called as he broke into a run after the retreating figure.

A second later he was sprawled on the ground after tripping on a tree root. He wasted valuable seconds finding his gun which he had dropped, but as he started running for the road again he heard a car starting up, and with a squeal of tyres he could just make out a sedan speeding off down the street.

Damn! She had got away. As he slowly trudged back towards his car he wondered if it had really been Hannah or just some woman trying to break into the apartment block? No, he was sure it was Hannah. But then a thought struck him. Hannah was a professional. If she had wanted to get into that building she wouldn't have just walked up, tried the door handle and then walked off. She would have had some way of picking or forcing the lock. So it couldn't have been Hannah at all, unless.....

Another thought dawned on him. She had no intention of entering the building. Trying to open the door and then walking off had been a trick, a ruse. It was a way of finding out if the building was under surveillance, and it worked. Now she knew someone was watching Chantelle's front door, but did she know it was Michael? Of course she did, she would have heard him call out for her to stop in the park before he tripped and fell.

Now he had tipped his hand. She wouldn't try getting into Chantelle's building now. Fuck! She was one step ahead of him. As he climbed back into his car he smiled to himself. Clever girl. Hannah was smart. She would be very difficult to catch. So what was his next move?